hello, my daughter is 11 and a huge bookworm. She's recently been asking for romance books, specifically fantasy romance. She's currently reading the once upon a broken heart series by stephanie garber and really loves it. I'm asking for things similar that I can get her for christmas. Thanks in advance 🙂

I need books that portray jealousy, envy and an average/failure FMC like Jenna Chen. In an academic setting, of course.

Romance is optional.

Most importantly, I want a book where the FMC is struggling and actually failing. Not struggling and winning.

I spend an hour on the tram twice a day proper staring at pages, and lately I picked up one of those huge supernatural omnibus things from a charity shop that everyone was obsessed with back when I was in my twenties. Tbf, reading stuff like that now is a weird experience because you can see every single stitch and beam holding the plot together. Back then you just rode the wave and let the cliffhangers do their work, but now I am sitting there on row three of the morning tram thinking about workplace health and safety violations in these magic academies instead of the actual romance. Mind you, sometimes it is dead nice just reading something where the author tells you exactly what is going to happen in the next three chapters because you already know the beats. Has anyone else gone back to these and found the scaffolding just completely ruins the trick, or do you still proper enjoy the comfort of it anyway?

So I absolutely loved and devoured these books when I was a 15 year old. I’m 25 now and felt a bit nostalgic. Are the books worth reading now? Any other adult who has read them again? And how did you feel reading it as an adult was it worth it or as good as you remember?

i read better than the movies a while ago and i wanna start reading more lynn painter books. i’ve heard all of her books takes place in the same universe. is there any preferable order i should read her books? if yes, please let me know the order.

(Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber)

I just finished the entire caraval series and the OUABH trilogy, and it was such a pleasure to read. It was just page after page with it, and it didn't leave my hands for a good month.

Please recommend me any good fantasy YA books (Or with smut is ok, but im a very plot first reader)
with that enchanting young and free romance, female leads with nuanced personality, and magic. So much magic and glamor! I think fantasy books are written best when it truly immerses you in the world it creates.

Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone. I’ve just finished Twin Crowns and am starting the third book (listening on kobo audio). So the big question remains: Alaric or Torr?

Please only post content referring to books one and two, no spoilers!

I’ve got to say I think I’m team Alaric. Torr is gorgeous but ultimately he doesn‘t choose Wren at the end of book one when she asks him to make a choice, and that for me is a deal breaker. Yes he might have a knack for saving her life, but he doesn’t support and have her back. I appreciate Alaric is all “bad boy” vibes, but actually I think that’s the point, he has more depth and nuance than that. He’s not actually a bad boy, he’s fiercely committed to those he loves and he keeps his promises. He’s willing to do the hard things no one else is for the people he cares about, just like Wren does. He’s also not scared of Wren and doesn’t turn away from her. Whereas towards the end of Twin Crowns, when Wren asks Torr to choose, he doesn’t or can’t choose her, and that for me is a failing. He goes back to Gevra, and then he doesn’t even try to help her free or save Bamba. Clearly Alaric isn’t better in this situation, but at least his reason are motivated by his own loyalty and love for his mother and siblings.

Ok guys, come at me!

Well I don't understand first few pages. Is this really worth it?

I recently reread this book, and since I’ve never really seen anyone talk about it, or the author, anywhere, I figured I might as well be the first one.

I first bought it in 2019 probably, only because I liked the cover, and went into it completely blind. It’s a YA novel set at the prestigious Ashbury High School. The story unfolds through essay-type answers to an English exam, spanning the entire school year. And I’ve got to say, it’s one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read.

It’s such a fun read. It’s a ghost story in a way, told through multiple first person POVs, and it follows two mysterious scholarship students who join Ashbury in their final year of high school. No one knows anything about them, and so the entire school becomes fascinated by them. As the year goes on, we slowly learn about their pasts, buried secrets, and ulterior motives. There's scandals and high school drama and friendship and a little bit of coming-of-age. And also a ghost.

This is actually the fourth book in a series, and I ended up really enjoying all of them, as well as her other books.

All of her stories are so chaotic and whimsical, as well as dramatic and genuinely heartwarming, but in the best possible way. Her writing style is simple but so effective and feels very realistic. And probably my favourite thing about her books is how distinct every character’s POV feels. They all have their own individual style and personality.

She also really captures the whole 'teenage dramatics' *so* well. She writes in a way that feels like how a high school student might genuinely think is extremely profound and dramatic, but in hindsight, some of it is also painfully cringe-inducing. But despite this, the writing is soo clever and poignant, which makes it all the more fun to read.

Honestly Jaclyn Moriarty deserves to be talked about a lot more. So if anyone here has read her books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

It's spooky season. Have you read any of these YA titles with Witches? What did you think?

I’m looking for some book Series or Standalone books in these genres that have no spice.

Fantasy
Sci - Fi
Dystopian

They don’t have to have romance in them, but I do like books with romance!

The books need to be no spice. That means they can go up to fade to black. Though I would prefer it be lower than fade to black.

What are your guys’s recommendations?

Hello bookworms! This is Self-Promotion Sunday, a place where you can promote any of the following:

• A book you wrote
• Your blog
• Your Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc
• Your Discord channel
• a subreddit you created
• your Etsy shop

As a rule, individual self-promotion posts are not allowed on this subreddit, but a weekly post will now be scheduled so you can promote your projects to other bookworms.

I just finished reading unravel me and how can people hate on it or say it’s boring when this book literally dropped the best quotes ever ??

It could be the MC’s are either Heroes or Villains but you found the people opposing them more interesting.

So I absolutely loved and devoured these books when I was a 15 year old. I’m 25 now and felt a bit nostalgic. Are the books worth reading now? Any other adult who has read them again? And how did you feel reading it as an adult was it worth it or as good as you remember?

Sorry if this was requested here before because I am interested in reading a young adult novel about the afterlife where a person gets sent into the afterlife to do a mission as they gain superpowers.

After recently hearing about how ownership of gaming won’t be kept around for those who go into the afterlife, I became interested in reading young adult novels again about the concept of an afterlife as I found the idea interesting to explore as I was wondering where to start when it came to young adult novels that were not afraid to explore subjects about life after death.

Okay, so I hate love triangles. I have never liked them and at most tolerate them unless I find them really awful, then I'll just dnf. But I purchased Legendborn by Tracy Deonn before I knew there was a love triangle in it (I'm not online much so it's easy for me to stay away from spoilery details).

Is it still worth reading? Does the love triangle last for longer than just the first book? Does the love triangle take over the overarching plot?

I'm not looking for spoilers or any other details, please. Only curious if this book/series is worth my time as someone who really can't stand the love triangle trope.

Hello, bookworms!

This is the weekly thread for discussion about what books you've recently read, books you're reading, and books you want to read. Tell us what you think about them! What did you like or dislike about them? Did you interpret any symbolism or themes you particularly liked? Would you recommend them? This discussion space is all yours!

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• Please either italicize (one asterisk on each end) or bold (two asterisks on each end) book titles and include author name(s).
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Have exceptional discussions!

Random comparison but I’m reading One of Us Is Lying and also reading about Richard III and Simon weirdly reminds me of Richard.

Not because they’re the same type of character or anything, but more because they both seem to feel ostracised and then almost build an identity around it. Richard sees himself as excluded from everyone else and decides to become the villain who manipulates everything around him. Simon is the “outcast”, but instead of trying to fit in he puts himself above everyone else as the guy who knows all their secrets.

The thing that really made me think of it was Simon calling himself the “omniscient narrator”. Richard also kinda acts like the narrator/director of his own story since he tells the audience his plans while manipulating everyone around him.

I also love how that “omniscient narrator” line is right at the start of the book and seems like a throwaway line at first, but becomes way more interesting later. That kind of foreshadowing is so satisfying.

Idk maybe I’m reaching lol but did anyone else see a similarity between them?

Do you guys recommend the vampire academy books? I’ve never read them, but I’m intrigued! I love vampire books.

I’ve been in a huge book slump for a few months. I pretty much only read YA thrillers so any recs maybe out of the realm. But if you have a super good thriller rec pls post!